In Living Color

Our last post mentioned a discussion at the poker table with a man named Steve about Jesus and the Sabbath. When we mentioned Jesus was Jewish, Steve offered further thoughts.

"And He was black." Steve admittedly is African-American.

"How do you know that?" We asked curiously, not angrily (read on and you'll see why).

"The scriptures describe Him that way."

The Bible descriptions of the Lord actually can be interpreted in many ways. For instance....

My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. -- Song of Solomon 5:10 (KJV)

These words from a poetry-laden book are taken by some scholars to describe God. But the New International Version uses the word "radiant" instead of "white" -- and other verses indicate when Jesus comes back, that radiance will dominate:

In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. -- Revelation 1:16

This can be a complex subject, with obvious emotional undertones which can be potentially divisive. It's such a big deal for some people that we did a complete Bible study about it. You're invited to offer comments on our conclusions here.

But at the table the other night, we saw the potential divisiveness and searched for common ground about Christ. "What matters most is the color of His blood."

Steve is Catholic, and he agreed with that. He declared Jesus is His Savior -- and ultimately, the skin color is not what makes the difference.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.... -- Ephesians 1:7